57 And 59, Bewell Head

57 and 59 Bewell Head are a pair of cottages and a nail workers' workshop, dating from the late 18th century to early 19th century. They are constructed of red brick and feature a plain tiled roof. Each cottage has two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs. The entrance front has two plank doors on either side of the center, with 3-light casement windows beside them that include central iron casements. All ground floor openings have cambered heads. On the first floor, there are two 2-light casements, and a cogged band runs along the eaves. Each gable end has a projecting brick stack with an offset. At the rear, each cottage has a 2-light casement window on the first floor, with the right cottage featuring its casement-hook, and two single-light casements at ground floor level. Inside, the ground floor front room of No. 57 has wainscot panelling, and both cottages have clay tiles on the floor in this room, stop-chamfered ceiling beams, and 20th-century fire surrounds. Winder staircases lead up from the rear kitchen/larders. Attached to the southwest gable end of No. 59 is a single-storey brick workshop with a pitched roof, which has pamment tiles on the floor and cement in the center where the forge was located. The nail-making industry was prominent in Bromsgrove for several centuries, often involving entire families in this cottage industry. Many nailers' cottages in Bromsgrove town center have been demolished, making this pair from the late 18th century to early 19th century, complete with their workshop, a rare survival.